The Picture Perfect Love

Hearing the sound of running water from the bathroom, Roxanne dropped her innocent act and said sarcastically, "Tessa, you're already 30. Why don't you get a divorce already?

"Do you know what Mr. Chesson says about you? He says you smell old and that you nauseate him.

"On the other hand, he says that I have skin like porcelain and smell amazing. I'm only 20, after all."

I'd heard things like this before.

Back then, I had a high fever and was so out of it that I asked Sebastian to carry me to the hospital. Instead, he threw me on the floor and said, "Stop faking sick for attention. You're built like a damn ox. How could you be sick? You're not as young as Rox. Act your age.

"My grandpa never liked you anyway, so stop making things worse."

I wasn't as young and supple as Roxanne.

"Roxanne, do you think being a mistress makes you superior?" I slipped the divorce papers into my coat and laughed coldly.

"Did you forget that when you were about to be married off in the mountains for a bride price, sick and half-dead, it was me who saved you?"

Roxanne's face turned cold. "If you're really that kind, then you should help me all the way. That means giving up Mr. Chesson, too."

That twisted logic told me everything I needed to know. Roxanne had been rotten from the start.

I turned to leave, but she suddenly grabbed my hand and slid off the bed, crying out, "Ah! My stomach! It hurts!"

Sebastian rushed in, yanking me away so hard I hit the doorframe, splitting my forehead open. However, he didn't even look at me. All of his attention was on Roxanne. He asked panickedly, "Where does it hurt?"

She collapsed into his arms, crying miserably. "Mr. Chesson, I don't know why Tessa is so cruel… She hit my belly on purpose. She's trying to kill our baby. Maybe I should just die instead."

He gently patted her back and coaxed her softly.

Then, he turned to me, eyes blazing. "Tessa, how could you be so vicious? You used to be so kind that you even treated injured stray cats and dogs. Did you forget you're a traditional healer? Where are your medical ethics?"

I pressed a hand to the bleeding gash on my forehead, the dizziness almost knocking me out. Looking at his face made me want to throw up.

I didn't bother explaining. "Yeah. I'm vicious."

I then turned and went to the guest room to pack my belongings.

When Sebastian saw me packing, he kicked the suitcase open. "Are you running away just because you screwed up?"

"I have a patient in the next city," I lied. I casually added, "Sebastian, let's get a divorce."

"No way!" He shoved me against the wall and kissed me like a starving dog gnawing on a bone, desperate to consume me.

His bite split my lip. The taste of blood filled my mouth. I shoved him away with all my strength and slapped him. "Are you insane?"

He clutched his face, his expression gloomy. "Yeah, maybe I am. Tessa, I told you that we're married for life. Don't say stuff like that.

"You keep pushing this, and it stops being funny. Your parents are dead. Where could you even go? And besides, you love me so much that you can't leave me."

The certainty in his voice was the biggest insult to our ten-year marriage.

My heart felt like it had been stabbed. Tears spilled down my cheeks as I looked at him in disgust.

He stared at me like he was searching for something. Then he suddenly looked panicked as soon as he'd realized it.

The light in my eyes was gone.

"Tessa, why do you want a divorce? Is it because of Rox? I've said it many times—she's just like a younger sister to me.

"And you're the one who took her to that mountain area. That's how she got caught in the earthquake. Aren't you done being mad yet after hitting a pregnant woman?"

I was tired of hearing the same thing over and over again. He had hurt me too many times with his words.

I said carelessly, "Maybe I was always just a toxic woman."

Just then, my phone lit up with a message on the bed. My heart sank. Was that rogue texting again?

Sebastian picked it up and glanced at the screen, frowning.

"Why are you talking to my grandfather? He replied, 'Got it.' What's that supposed to mean?"

I let out a breath of relief. A divorce agreement alone wouldn't be enough if Sebastian refused to let go. But if Wayne got involved, this paper would be all I needed to walk away for good.

Sebastian's eyes landed on the papers tucked in my jacket. "Why do you still have those documents? Don't tell me you tricked me into signing the divorce papers."

He reached for them. My heart skipped, and I quickly grabbed his hand.